Argentina

With camelids into a sustainable future

The importance of camelid herders for the conservation of our world's rangelands is increasingly recognized internationally. To mark the International Year of Camelids, this thematic dossier introduces camelid pastoralists, how they sustainably manage rangelands in the Andean highlands, East Africa and Mongolia, and why the global community should support camelid pastoralism for a resilient future of our planet. Contents Allies for a green future - Igshaan Samuels and Maryam Niamir-Fuller Camelid husbandry worldwide - Bernard Faye Where in the world are camelids? - Paul Mundy New market opportunities in the Andes - Cecilia Turin and Mariana Quiroga Mendiola Camels as far as the eye can see - Piers Simpkin and Jacob Wanyama Proud to be a camel herder - Interview with Shariin Juu Participatory research for diversity - Ilse Köhler-Rollefson and Cecilia Turin The future of camelid husbandry - Ilse Köhler-Rollefson, Ann Waters-Bayer, Sabine Dorlöchter-Sulser and Cecilia Turin This dossier, co-published by Misereor, the League for Pastoral Peoples and DITSL, includes articles co-authored by LPP's Ilse Köhler-Rollefson, as well as several other articles by long-term collaborators with LPP. The centre spread is a poster showing the worldwide distribution of the seven camelid species (alpacas, Bactrians, dromedaries, llamas, guanacos, vicuñas and wild Bactrians (which have been recognized as a separate species from the domesticated Bactrians). This map is based on LPP's world Pastoralist Map. Download in English (from Misereor or LPP) or German (Misereor or LPP).

World map of pastoralists poster (A1 portrait)

This poster shows the locations of over 800 pastoralist groups around the world, and highlights pastoralist systems from the Arctic to Australia. The poster is DIN A1 size (59.4 x 84.1 cm or 23.4 x 33.1 inches). The poster is based on the World map of pastoralists, prepared for the 2026 International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists. Visit www.pastoralpeoples.org/pastoralist-map/ to see the full interactive map with details of each group.

Accounting for pastoralists: Why it is important and how to do it?

Ilse Köhler-Rollefson / League for Pastoral Peoples and Endogenous Livestock Development / 2020 Pastoralism is a way of raising animals in association with nature. It entails the movement of people and herds across landscapes, making use of natural vegetation and crop by-products. Pastoralism corresponds to public demands for high animal welfare and environmentally friendly methods of livestock production. If we want to make the livestock sector more sustainable, this production system requires strong policy support. But we currently do not know how many pastoralists there are either globally or within each country. This is due to the absence of data collection and because pastoralism is not a distinct category in livestock censuses. Outdated colonial concepts and one-sided focus on the “efficiency” of livestock systems have prevented the recognition of the benefits of pastoralism as a solar-powered, biodiversity-conserving food-production strategy. In order to monitor the situation and provide a basis for policymaking, FAO should lead a global initiative to define pastoralism and record data by production system.

Accounting for pastoralists in Argentina

María Rosa Lanari, Marcelo Perez Centeno, Graciela Preda, Mariana Quiroga Mendiola, Mercedes Ejarque, Sofia Lammel, Martín Moronta, Juan Quiroga Rogers, Pablo Losardo, Pablo Frere / League for Pastoral Peoples and Endogenous Livestock Development / 2020 Argentina has perhaps 35,000 households that practise pastoralism, mainly in three regions: the Puna altiplano in the northwest, the Gran Chaco region in the north, and the mountains of northern Patagonia. It developed out of traditional practices by indigenous groups, which were adopted by settlers from Europe. It is now largely practised by indigenous communities and Criollo people of mixed descent. They keep llamas, sheep, goats, cattle and horses. Their products include meat, dairy products, wool and cashmere, and handicrafts. Pastoralism is estimated to contribute as much as 1.4% of GDP, compared to 7–9% for agriculture as a whole. Much of the trade in animals and products is informal. Pastoralism is poorly documented: no official definition or statistics exist for Argentina, so pastoralism is invisible to policymakers. This lack of data could be overcome by including questions in the census on the mode of livestock production. Research is needed on pastoralism and its role in the economy and ecology.